Never Too Late
by Kuroh Hana
Summary: "It's never too late to tell someone who loves you that you love them back. because they're willing to wait an eternity for you to tell them you love them back, and when you finally do, they'll welcome you with open arms.


**Hello, minna! It's been a while since I wrote a GruVia fic, hasn't it? Well, this one is actually based on a fan fiction I wrote earlier, entitled "Impossible". It's in the Leo x Aries archive, and this ff is based on the ninth chapter of it. **

**If you want to read it, be my guest. It wouldn't hurt if you reviewed, either. Anyway, just so you would understand the whole scenario (but it doesn't really get too confusing, since Juvia's going to be telling the story) it would be best if you read "Impossible", too, even if it's just chapter nine.**

**Anyway, I hope you like it! Here goes, enjoy!**

**P.S. This will be told in Juvia POV.**

**~~~~=w=~~~~**

The guild is as noisy as always, even at ten o'clock in the evening. There's Natsu over there by the corner talking to Lisanna-san, Erza over there by the pillar, all alone, Mirajane-san is by the bar, talking to Lucy and one of her Celestial Spirits, I think Aries is her name.

Juvia looks at them from her place at a table. Juvia sees Aries-san crying and Mirajane-san telling her something. She is wearing one of Lucy's old clothes, and she looks like a mess. Juvia wonders what is wrong. Juvia decides to ask Gray-sama who is beside her.

"Gray-sama, what is going on with Aries-san and Lucy?"

He explains to me what is going on. Poor Aries-san. Juvia can relate to her pain, but thankfully Juvia has never experienced the worse things Aries went through.

Gray-sama tells Juvia that Aries is in love with Loke. Loke, as Juvia remembers, is his partner during the S-Class Advancement Exam. Loke is a Celestial Spirit whose master is Lucy. Gray-sama tells Juvia that Loke has been acting very weird lately, playing with Aries-san. Apparently Loke thought he was in love with Lucy but Lucy rejected him, telling him that he is really in love with Aries-san. Now Loke is confused with his feelings and does not know what to do, and has ended up hurting Aries-san in the process. Now Aries-san is asking Lucy for help and they went to Mirajane-san for explanations.

Poor Aries-san. Poor Loke.

"I believe Loke wants to believe that he's really in love with Aries, too." Juvia tells Gray-sama.

"I think so too."

"I would like to hear Loke's perspective of this problem." Juvia adds, to which Gray-sama just nods.

Then suddenly Aries-san gets blocked from view and Loke bursts into the guild. Everybody has heard the story and almost everybody believes that Loke is a bad guy who only used Aries-san to forget Lucy. Juvia thinks it is not that simple.

Juvia turns to Gray-sama, and she can see that he's also looking at Loke. Everyone's looking at Loke, and it feels like everyone is disappointed in him. Maybe some are even angry.

Juvia looks around her and notices that Natsu and Erza are sitting next to us at our table. Juvia is slightly annoyed that they are sitting here; this is supposed to be Juvia's time alone with Gray-sama. But Juvia doesn't care anymore, she knows that Natsu likes Lucy and Lucy likes him back. She also knows that Erza likes someone named Jellal, who is apparently with an independent guild called Crime Sorcerie. Juvia has no more rivals for Gray-sama's love.

"Has Aries been here? Have you seen her? Please, I really need to talk to her." Loke calls out, but nobody answers him. Everyone keeps looking at him like they're mad. Juvia feels sorry for Loke.

"Aries!" he calls out. "Aries, I know you're here! Please, talk to me! Aries!"

Nobody is answering, and Aries disappears from the guild Juvia sees her running away but does not speak up. Maybe it is for the best. Maybe she wants to be left alone.

"She's not here, Loke." It's Lucy who speaks. With that everyone who is covering Aries relaxes and moves around the guild again, going back to their normal business.

Loke sits at our table, too. Mirajane-san and Lucy move towards our table, as well. When Lucy reaches Loke she hits him on the back of the head. It is so hard that Juvia can hear the impact from where she is sitting.

"Ow!" Loke goes, his hand going to the spot Lucy hit.

"How could you, Loke!" Lucy yells at him. Juvia has never seen Lucy so angry before.

Loke looks down at the table with a guilty expression on his face. "I know. I was a jerk. I wanted to tell her that."

"I didn't think you were that much of a jerk, Loke. I just think you and she had some misunderstandings, that's all." Mirajane-san says, and Juvia agrees with her.

"Juvia thinks so too. All you have to do is to tell Aries your feelings. She will understand. She loves you after all. A girl in love will always listen to her beloved's feelings." Juvia joins the conversation, because she can relate to Aries-san. Juvia glances shyly towards Gray-sama, and she hopes he doesn't notice.

"Thanks, you two, but I was still a big fat jerk, even if it was a misunderstanding." He looks at us. Juvia sees his expression for the first time. Loke is not only confused. He is also hurt. He is hurt because he hurt Aries-san. Juvia thinks he loves Aries-san just as much as she loves him.

"Well, you can at least explain yourself." Gray-sama says. Juvia notices an expression in his voice. He sounds very concerned. He and Loke must be really close. "Why'd you do that to Aries?"

"Well, you see, when Lucy and I talked, I was left very, very confused. A part of me wanted so badly to agree with what she said, but a part of me refused, strongly believing that what I felt for Aries was pure friendship. But then, as the days went by and I kept thinking about what Lucy said, the part of me that believed I loved Aries grew stronger and bigger, until one day, when we decided to go to the festival, I felt like I had already made my decision."

Juvia listens intently to his explanation. She feels even sorrier for Loke now, sorry for the both of them. She feels sad that those two are having this big fight all because of a misunderstanding, and hopes that if ever she and Gray-sama would come to a stage where they are very close, they would not fight about stuff like this. She blushes, too, because if this were to happen to them that would mean Juvia will end up sleeping with Gray-sama.

Juvia almost loses her concentration and nearly forgets that the problem is about Loke and Aries-san, until Loke continues his explanation.

"So, that night, I kissed her…and, well, one thing led to another and…well, _that_ happened. And I had to admit, it was the best night of my life. And it just felt so incredibly right. I know I'm starting to sound cheesy here, but, it's true."

Juvia wishes Gray-sama would feel that way too, if ever they ended up in a position like this. She shakes her head and goes back to the conversation.

"So why did you leave?" Erza asks. Her tone is her usual one, calm and controlled, disciplined, trying not to let her emotions show.

"Because, when I woke up the next day, I remembered that Aries didn't love me, and that what I did ruined our friendship. I realized that I imposed on her kindness; I realized I had crossed a line. I knew that she was willing to do anything for me, to help me get better, but I knew I had forced her to do _that_. I even remember her trying to stop me from doing it. Telling me we shouldn't be doing what we did. But I still insisted. I was such a jerk, and I hated myself for what I did to her. So, I left. I even pretended that nothing happened the night before, so that we could continue on with being best friends."

Now Juvia feels torn as well. Juvia is slightly annoyed that Loke did not decide to just tell Aries-san his feelings. But, she also admires the fact that Loke considered Aries' welfare as well.

"So, I was right." Mirajane-san says. Juvia is in awe of Mirajane-san's skill when it comes to things like these.

"You knew?" Loke asks.

"It was just a guess, but, well, I got it right, apparently." She replies, a small smile on her face.

"Continue." Lucy still sounds angry, this time angrier than earlier. She must really be concerned with her spirits.

"And then when she told me how she felt about what I did, I felt really awful. I realized that I had been such a big jerk, and that I had hurt her, all because I was too afraid to listen to my heart."

"Why? Why were you so afraid to listen to your heart, Loke?" Gray-sama says. How does Gray-sama know so much about this stuff? Is Gray-sama perhaps in love? And if so, with who? She must find that woman!

"Why? Well, because, I didn't want to believe that I loved Aries. I didn't want to ruin our friendship."

"But it was more than that, wasn't it, Loke?" he says again. It's obvious that Gray-sama asked the right question, because of Loke's expression.

"How'd you…alright, fine. I admit, it was more than that. I didn't want to acknowledge my feelings for her because I was afraid that she'd reject me. I was scared of another rejection." He looks at Lucy this time, and Juvia is annoyed by how much of a coward Loke is.

"Back then I didn't know that she loved me. I had no idea. And when I found out, it was already too late; I had hurt her too much already."

This is just wrong. What Loke believes is wrong. Juvia must tell him what is right.

"It's never too late, Loke-san." Juvia says. "It's never too late to say to someone who's loved you for so long that you love them back. It's never too late, no matter how many years, decades or ages pass, no matter how many times you've hurt them. It's never too late. Because that person loves you and is willing to wait an eternity for you to love them back."

Juvia feels guilty for saying this, because it's not only meant for Loke and Aries-san. It is also meant for her and Gray-sama.

Everyone looks at Juvia, and Juvia blushes at the attention. It is embarrassing to have everyone staring. "What? Is there something on Juvia's face?" Juvia moves her hands to wipe her face. Maybe her drink spilled on her face earlier.

Gray-sama grabs my hand and takes it with his, holding onto it tight. "Is that true, Juvia?" he says this with his onyx eyes looking directly at Juvia's dark blue ones. Juvia can feel herself blushing again.

Juvia manages to nod. Natsu, I think, coughs, reminding everyone that this is about Loke and Aries-san. Gray-sama blushes and looks away, dropping my hand. He does the same thing Juvia is doing.

"Anyway," Gray-sama asks. He sounds embarrassed. "Do you love her?"

"I don't know. How do you even know if you love someone?" Loke asks.

Erza speaks up. "It's different for each person, Loke. For me, I know I love that person," Someone interrupts and coughs, but it sounds like they're saying 'Jellal' to make fun of Erza. She blushes because of it. "Because I am willing to do anything for that person, even if it means I can't be with him yet, and all I can do is support him with what he wants to do."

She blushes harder and turns around. "I…it's not like I'm talking about any specific person here…I…" she murmurs. Juvia forgets that Erza can act girly at times too.

"All I know is that when you love someone, Loke, you don't ever want to hurt them, or see them cry. And it hurts like hell when you know you're the reason why they cried, because you were a jerk, because of your stupidity. And you don't ever want to see them get hurt, not even a single hair on their head. You want to protect them no matter what." Gajeel-kun says, joining in the conversation. We know he's talking about that time in Tenroujima.

"When you love someone, you become stronger for them; they become your inspiration to get through every battle. They're the reason why you smile, why you can see the sunshine. And when you love someone, you'll wait and wait and wait until they realize they love you back." I say this line, and Gray-sama looks at me.

"Juvia…" Gray-sama begins, blushing again. "We need to talk later, okay." Juvia nods and blushes. What does Gray-sama want to talk to her about? She is anxious. When exactly is 'later'? Juvia cannot wait.

"I know that I'm in love when I…" Gray-sama follows Juvia, and Natsu comments before he can begin.

"What on Earth do _you_ know about love, Gray? Last time I checked, you were a cold ice prince that didn't bother with girlfriends and such!" Juvia cannot help but agree. Who has changed Gray-sama? Juvia thinks it is too much to hope that it is her.

"This isn't the time to be fighting, Natsu." Juvia has to know who this girl is; the one Gray-sama is in love with. She even managed to get Gray-sama to avoid fighting with Natsu!

"Who are you and what have you done with Gray?!" Nearly everyone in the guild who's listening yells out. After, a wave of laughter runs around.

"Anyway," Gray-sama says, getting back to his point, "when your day lights up whenever you see that person, when you smile just when you hear their name, when you refer to them as 'yours', and, when you realize that you're so stupid when you only realize after so long that you love that person, and when you think about it, you don't know when you started loving that person, all you know is now you just do."

Some of that stuff feels familiar to Juvia, yet she can only hope that he's talking about her.

Gray-sama adds one last line, looking into Loke's eyes. "And while we're talking to you about this, you know you love that person when that someone is in your mind for every single definition of love we gave you."

Juvia agrees. When she shared her definition, she was referring to Gray-sama, of course. Is Gray-sama thinking about her, too? She can only hope so.

Loke stands up, yells, ""I…am so…STUPID!" to which Gray-sama replies, "I told you you'd realize that."

"I have to go." Loke says. He must have realized that he loved Aries already.

"Wait, do you know where to find her?" they ask.

"I know exactly where she is." He says.

The next few things are a big blur, and all Juvia remembers next is Loke and Gray-sama standing by the door. They must think she doesn't hear what they're saying, but she does.

"So Gray," Loke begins. "How do you know so much about love? Last time I checked, I was more of an expert on it than you were. What happened?" Then Loke looks at Juvia, then back to Gray-sama. "Does it have anything to do with her?" Loke adds, and Gray-sama blushes.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Loke. Juvia and I are just friends." Right. Juvia knew it.

"_Right…_ so how'd you know I was talking about Juvia? All I said was 'her'." Gray-sama blushes again, and gets annoyed. "Shouldn't you be looking for Aries now?"

Loke chuckles and leaves, but not before Gray-sama calls after him.

"Good luck on Aries, Loke! I hope you get your feelings across to her!"

Loke replies. "Yeah, and you, good luck with Juvia!"

Everyone heard that. Juvia is blushing. She thinks Gray-sama is too, but she can't look at him. She is too embarrassed.

Juvia turns around to go back to her seat, but Gray-sama stops her. He drags Juvia outside of the guild, where no one can hear them.

"Juvia."

"Yes, Gray-sama?" Juvia looks up at Gray-sama.

Out of the blue, Gray-sama kisses Juvia. Juvia kisses him back, eagerly, and we keep on kissing until we're out of breath.

"Gray-sama…what was that for?"

"Juvia…were those things you said…were they true?"

Juvia nods and Gray-sama hugs her.

"Then…you wouldn't get angry if I told you that I only realized now that I love you?"

Juvia blushes. "You love Juvia? Really? You're not joking?"

Gray-sama laughs. "No, I'm not. I love you, Juvia. Those things I was talking about, they were about you. I love you, really. And I know that you were talking about me earlier."

"Then…why did you only tell Juvia now?"

"Because," Gray-sama begins, "It's a lot like Loke. I thought…you might get mad at me or tell me you didn't love me anymore because it took me such a long time for me to realize I love you. I was a coward, much like Loke."

Juvia merely nods. Gray-sama is holding my hand. Juvia cannot believe this is happening.

"So…do you want to go out sometime?"

Juvia nods. "Sure!"

We go back inside the guild. "Well, it's no point keeping things a secret, Juvia. Everybody probably listened to our conversation outside."

Juvia smiles. "Juvia doesn't mind. At least now everyone knows that Gray-sama belongs to her."

Gray-sama smiles.

See, it's never too late to tell someone you loved them, because they will still welcome you with open arms. This is how it was for Juvia and Gray-sama. Later on we find out that this is also what happened with Aries-san and Loke.

Good things really_ do_ come to those who wait.

**~~~~=w=~~~~**

**Well, that's it, thanks! It wasn't very good, actually. Review, please. Thanks. Sorry it sucked. Super sorry. Review.**


End file.
